A DeAth in Your FAmilY - City of Prince George

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• Date of death • Place of death • Place of birth • Date of birth • Full legal name and all alias names • Occupation, if not retired 3. What to Do about Your Loved One’s Daily Affairs Legally, only the executor or administrator has the right to deal with the assets and property of the person who has died. An executor must get a grant of probate from the court to confirm his or her authority. A person seeking to be appointed as administrator must apply to the court for a grant of administration before he or she has the authority to deal with the assets. If you are the executor or the person seeking to be the administrator, excellent information is available about what you need to do. A good resource is the Self-Counsel Press publication, BC Probate Kit. See “Resources” on page 17 for details. If you cannot find the person’s Will, you can check with his or her Notary Public or lawyer. You can also do a Wills search through Vital Statistics or your local Government Agent. You need the following information to perform a Wills search. • Fee: $21.59 + $5 for each alias (Fees are subject to change.) If an executor is not involved or if you are the executor, you may want to secure the assets. Make sure the following valuables are safe. • Will or copies of the Will • Wallet, purse, or briefcase • Social insurance card, medical card, driver’s licence, etc. • Credit cards, bank statements • Utilities statements • Life or property insurance policies • Income tax papers You also may need to do the following. • Make sure the loved one’s motor vehicle is locked and in a safe place. Retain the keys and any valuable contents to hand over to the executor. • Gain access to the deceased’s residence to take care of pets, make sure appliances are off, take in mail, mow the lawn, and collect the newspapers. Usually the executor or administrator will send a change of address to Canada Post so that the deceased’s mail goes to the executor’s address while he or she is dealing with the person’s estate. It is the responsibility of the executor or administrator to notify institutions and cancel credit cards and such things as club memberships, magazine subscriptions, etc. 12
What Do I Need to Know about Benefits for Survivors? The following is a general overview for your information. Many of the tasks involved will be completed by the executor or administrator. “Resources” on page 16 has contact details for relevant institutions, if you require further information. • If you had a joint account with right of survivorship, you can withdraw the whole amount from the account at any time. If you encounter difficulties, speak to the bank’s head office. Once you have the Death Certificate, you can have the account transferred to your name alone. • If the accounts were in your spouse’s name alone, notify the bank. Banks will usually release small amounts of money to the survivor before the estate is settled, but they are not required to do so. They will pay funeral expenses directly if presented with the bill; they will not, however, reimburse a person who has paid the funeral home directly until the estate is settled. • Money left to you in insurance policies, pension funds, and RRSPs passes outside the Will. If you are the beneficiary, contact the relevant institutions to learn what documents they need. • If your spouse was receiving a government or private pension, you may be entitled to a portion of the pension as the survivor. Check with each agency. Was your loved one a veteran, member of a union, or receiving a pension from another country? If so, there may be pension benefits for survivors. For pensions, the estate or the survivor is entitled to keep the cheques issued in the month of your loved one’s death. Note: This applies to you if you are a dependent child of a parent who has died. • The CPP Death Benefit is payable to the estate or survivor if the family member paid into the Canada Pension Plan. • If your partner died and you are under 60, you may be entitled to a Survivor’s Pension through CPP. Benefits are also available to children under 18 years of age or between the ages of 18 and 25 and attending school full-time. • If the loved one was still employed, benefits may be available. Death benefits payable by labour unions vary. They may be payable to the next-of-kin or the estate. The union office will have the information. • If the death was due to a work-related accident, benefits may be available from Workers’ Compensation. • If death was due to a car accident, benefits are available from ICBC. • If the death was a result of a crime, assistance and benefits may be available to survivors from the Crime Victim Assistance Program. For contact information, see “Resources” on page 18. 13
Page 1 and 2: A Death in January 2007 1st edition
Page 3 and 4: about who can authorize the transpo
Page 5 and 6: Before you give consent, make sure
Page 7 and 8: Almost all funeral homes in BC now
Page 9 and 10: 2. Making the Funeral Arrangements
Page 11: The Funeral Service Association of
Page 15 and 16: British Columbia Hospice Palliative
Page 17 and 18: BC Transplant Society www.transplan
Page 19 and 20: Information about Burial and Cremat

A DeAth in Your FAmilY - City of Prince George

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